The Yggdmillennia family, although known as "defeated dogs"—a coalition of various declining or soon-to-be-declining magus families seeking reform and development—maintained much of the pride and obstinacy characteristic of traditional magus due to its loose structure and the nature of its head, Darnic. This was particularly evident in their strict secrecy about each family's arcane techniques and their wariness of technology and new phenomena.
Of course, as a rebellious family, the Yggdmillennia were not as entrenched in outdated customs as the Clock Tower. The younger generation of the family had already begun to seek new development opportunities. Among them, two individuals stood out the most.
The first was Sagara Hyouma. He merged the Eastern curses of the Sagara family with the black magic of the Icecolle family, forging his unique path. Had he continued, he could have established his school of thought and created new glory. Unfortunately, he was ill-fated and met a tragic end, beheaded.
The second was Caules. Although he had not made significant achievements in magecraft, he was the first in the entire Yggdmillennia family to come into contact with and use the internet. As a child, Caules discovered the internet and saw it as the future's most important channel for gathering information and intelligence.
From then on, Caules became addicted to the internet, in a positive sense—through self-study, his network skills advanced rapidly, and his abilities in intelligence gathering became comparable to that of a hacker. During his explorations online, he also encountered computer games and would play them occasionally. Though not top-tier, his skills were enough to crush ordinary players.
In his view, no matter how great a hero, they could not possibly match him in computer games.
However—
"You're still too inexperienced to challenge me. So, Caules, do you admit defeat?"
Shinji pushed his mouse aside and stood up from his seat. On the computer screen in front of him, a massive red tank army had overwhelmed and destroyed the blue main base.
"How could this happen..."
Caules, sitting opposite Shinji, slapped his keyboard and slumped in his seat.
It was now nearing noon. After Caules proposed a showdown with Shinji in a computer game, the group moved from Fiore's room to Caules' room.
Caules' room was quite similar to Fiore's, though, being a boy's room, it was sparser—except for the three computers arranged in an arc. Seeing this, Shinji knew the kid's gaming skills weren't weak. However, this did not shake Shinji's confidence.
Although he didn't know what game Caules would choose for their duel, with over thirty years of combined gaming experience across two lifetimes, Shinji feared no game, even those he had never played.
If it came to games requiring manual dexterity, Shinji's Servant attributes were more than enough to outclass Caules. If it was a strategy game, Caules stood even less of a chance. In his previous life, Shinji was a clumsy player and thus particularly fond of strategy games, especially high-difficulty ones. The satisfaction of meticulous planning and eventually overcoming challenges was something he could savor for a long time.
Thus, Caules was doomed.
He chose the game Red Alert, a real-time strategy game that was all the rage in the 90s and one of Shinji's childhood favorites from his previous life.
The rules were that Shinji would win if he could secure victory in just one of three matches.
In the first match, Shinji needed to familiarize himself with the controls and production systems and unsurprisingly lost to Caules.
In the second match, Shinji attempted to go on the offensive but was still unfamiliar with the map and the various controls, resulting in another defeat.
In the third match, Shinji learned from the previous two games and employed a solid strategy bolstered by his terrifyingly quick micro-management (no special techniques, just sheer speed—where Caules could press one key, Shinji could press five). Finally, he successfully overran Caules' main base and achieved ultimate victory.
With his victory, Shinji began to taunt Caules, who was frustrated.
"No, we need to play one more match. Just one more!"
Caules believed he should have won the last match, having made a strategic error that led to his defeat. If they played again, he was certain he wouldn't lose.
"Alright, bring it on."
Shinji, having found his rhythm, was eager to continue. He was ready for another game, or even several more. Unfortunately, their fourth match never materialized because Fiore intervened:
"That's enough, Caules. A loss is a loss."
"But, sister—"
"Don't forget what time it is."
This statement was like a bucket of cold water over their heads; it reminded them that it was the Holy Grail War period, not a time for games.
"Understood, sister." Caules slumped over his computer desk, dejected.
"Remember to verify Assassin's report with Archer. We'll report to Uncle Darnic together this evening."
With that, Fiore signaled to Shinji with a glance. Shinji understood and began pushing Fiore's wheelchair out of the room. Ever since he was summoned, he took on the role of pushing Fiore's wheelchair whenever he was by her side, a way to build trust and communication between master and servant.
Fiore maintained her composed demeanor as an elder sister down the hallway until they turned a corner. Then she whispered, "Are they following us?"
"No," Shinji shook his head.
Fiore stuck out her tongue, her tense body relaxing. "Assassin, you're not mad that I stopped you and Caules from continuing, are you?"
"Of course not, Fiore. You were right; now is not the time for games," Shinji replied with a smile. "Besides, even if we kept playing, Caules wouldn't have beaten me."
"Really?" Fiore turned her head, her eyes sparkling.
"Really. But why do you look so pleased? Isn't Caules your brother? Or is he adopted?"
"Hehe, it's because Caules always calls me a computer idiot. I thought he was really good, but it turns out he was just bragging and couldn't even beat a newcomer like you."
Fiore's laughter was enchanting, reminiscent of a rainbow after the rain, and Shinji swallowed the words he was about to say about Caules' true skills—just to keep that smile on her face a bit longer.
Only at times like this did she shed her roles as the head of the Forvedge family and the heir of the Yggdmillennia, transforming into an ordinary girl.
The burden on her shoulders was indeed very heavy.
While Shinji and Fiore were talking about Caules, Caules and Chiron were discussing them.
After Shinji closed the door, Caules got up from his computer desk, the laziness on his face quickly fading. He looked in the direction his sister had left and asked meaningfully, "Archer, what do you think?"
"I'd like to hear your thoughts first, Caules."
Chiron said this as he put down the document he was holding. He hadn't been very interested in the morning's game match, only watching a bit before turning his attention back to Shinji's report.
"I can't say for sure, but I feel there's something off about this Assassin. He doesn't seem like he's forgotten his true name and related matters as he claims."
"Why do you say that?"
"I can't pinpoint it, but something just feels wrong—Archer, have you noticed anything?"
Caules knew that besides magecraft, his sister was quite clumsy. He worried that she could be deceived by a Servant with ulterior motives. Today, he had brought Chiron to interact with Shinji partly to use Chiron's keen eyes to see through Shinji's true nature.
"You're right, Assassin hasn't been completely honest. At the very least, he's hiding something. Born nameless, died nameless? Self-sealing? It's not impossible, but he's too calm about it. He accepted it too easily, without any doubts. I don't think he's that magnanimous."
"Indeed, a truly magnanimous person wouldn't challenge me to a game," Caules nodded. "I need to find a chance to warn my sister."
"No, don't be in such a hurry to inform Miss Fiore."
"Why not?"
"Hiding something doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know. I don't know why he's hiding things, but someone with truly malicious intent wouldn't be so high-profile, nor would they be bored enough to play games with you. Plus, I can see he genuinely regards Miss Fiore as his Master and is wholeheartedly devoted to her—that's enough for now."
"Your words put my mind at ease."
Caules did not doubt Chiron's judgment.
"By the way, Archer, can you determine which era and region he might be a Servant from?"
"That... I'm not sure."
It was hard to imagine the wise Chiron being stumped like this.
"He gives me a very contradictory feeling. His behavior while playing computer games suggests that his active period wasn't too far from modern times. However, his aura feels somewhat familiar, like I've encountered it somewhere before."
"You feel it's familiar? Could he be a hero from ancient Greece?"
"It's hard to say."
The more Chiron spoke like this, the more interested Caules became.
"I see, he is a mysterious figure. Let's slowly unravel this mystery—starting with this report."
P.S.: It's not just you who finds him familiar; the other side feels the same. After all, he did eat the Golden Apple.